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Why Culture and Innovation will be Even More Critical in the Future: Highlights from #SHRM14

June 26, 2014 by Bruce Jones, Programming Director, Disney Institute

"You can design, create & build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality"-Walt Disney

Earlier this week, our Disney Institute team had the pleasure of participating in the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) Annual Conference & Exposition here in Orlando, Florida. For those not familiar, it’s the world’s largest annual gatherings of human resources (HR) professionals, as well as those (like us!) who provide services to HR professionals to help them reimagine their organizational culture.

This year’s conference was chock-full of thought-provoking educational sessions and interesting speakers. We were honored that Disney Institute facilitator Mike Reardon had the opportunity to present a session focused on Disney’s Approach to Culture. The room was packed with more than 1,000 conference participants, demonstrating the importance of creating, building and sustaining organizational culture.

Here are some of the key points Mike shared in his session:

Employee Selection: Hiring processes should include behavior-based questions, in addition to skill-based hiring. Individuals who exhibit behaviors that match the desired culture of an organization are more likely to be engaged, translating to a long-term and happy workforce. In a previous blog post, we offered some tips for how to evaluate cultural fit in a candidate.

Training: Once an organization has hired the right-fit talent, it is crucial to reinforce values while imparting skills. Operationalized training is more critical to employees’ desired behaviors and outcomes than many companies imagine.

Communication: Organizations often underestimate the importance of communication in the workplace, yet it is effective communication that often determines the success of an organization. High-quality information enables and empowers; mediocre information causes disengagement.

According to Friedman, in the future, employers won’t care what you know. “They will only care what you can DO with what you know,” he said. “It’s why …tomorrow’s workers must be ‘innovation-ready.’ The next generation will have to invent and reinvent their jobs so many more times than we did.”

#SHRM14 Attendees: What was the most insightful advice or trend you learned this conference?

We’d love to hear from you! Post your response below, or respond to us on Facebook or Twitter using Hashtag #DThinkBlog.

TO LEARN MORE…For nearly three decades, Disney Institute has provided engaging and insightful learning opportunities for business professionals and organizations, teaching them the Disney approach to business….focusing on Service, Leadership, Culture, Brand Loyalty, Creativity and Innovation. To learn more about how you can attend an upcoming course, see our full Course Calendar. Not sure which course is best for you? Try our Course Recommender.